Tech Talk for Teachers: Test Prep and Interactive PowerPoint System

by Jacqueline Miller
TpT Store: For the Love of the Children
Blog: For the Love of the Children

We know that our students need a lot of practice reading on the computer, but most of our instruction is done at a desk in a classroom.  This does not prepare them for the rigorous, computer-based standardized assessments that they are expected to complete each year.  When we have an opportunity to purchase computerized programs, we can not always afford them year-after-year. When we are able to purchase programs to use with our students, we sometimes run into Internet issues that prevent them from being used effectively.  Therefore, I created a computerized test prep program in PowerPoint that gives students the practice they need while reviewing a plethora of standards.  With this program, students work on their fluency by reading words before they disappear from the screen.  Then they respond to fourteen multiple-choice questions.  The questions contain built-in hints so that students are never stuck.  Students receive immediate feedback for correct and incorrect answers in order to adjust their thinking.  Finally, students have an opportunity to respond to an extended response or a constructed response item. This portion is completed in class, just like the written portion of standardized assessments.  Exemplar responses, grading rubrics, and answer keys are provided with each installment of this program. It's a system that will better prepare students for high-stakes, computer-based assessments. You can learn more by visiting my blog and downloading a free sample.